There is no better pillow than one's conscience.

April 12, 2022. No. 212

No one is inferior or superior to you. You will be better to the extent that you propose it; in that you scare away selfishness, lies, duplicity, in that you understand that there is no happiness like being satisfied with yourself. The Chinese say that there is no better pillow than one's conscience. Never seek to be a striking focus, scandalize others; It goes beyond that “childish” rudeness that only denotes insecurity. Virtue is the only light that those who are worthy know how to appreciate.

Tell me what you brag about and I'll tell you what you suffer from, says an old saying applicable to those who try to draw attention to themselves for attitudes that really cause pity. There is the one who speaks loudly, like the old circus entertainers, be it in a public place or a gathering of friends; the point is that they hear it, that the eyes go to him (or her). As expected, very coherent parliaments cannot be held by shouting, hence the astonishment provoked by these attitudes implicitly carry expressions such as: hey, what's wrong with him? Did he have a fit? There are also characters who try to stand out for an exotic appearance in the way they dress or make up —they look like traveling hardware or Indian warriors—; Martí wrote that whoever has been outside a lot, has little inside, and wants to hide the little.

I am not referring to the one who uses a certain aesthetic in his dress that can shock those who are unaware of its origin, but rather the one who exaggerates some element so that no one can ignore his step.) There are also those with accessory ridiculousness, the ostentatious, those who constantly in face” what they have (and what they don't); and especially laughable are the “movie guys”, who are always in Hollywood poses and, if they have a car or motorcycle, they come out screaming tires at hair-raising speeds so that everyone knows that he is going there: this is what can be defined as spectacular imbecility . That is an index of spiritual weakness, of unbalanced personality, of very low self-esteem. La Rochefoucauld sentenced: a man full of himself is always empty. The eccentricity, the display, the ostentation, that phosphorescent attitude, clearly describes the deterioration and loneliness of the soul. Search within yourself. Sometimes we do not realize that we are suffering from some of those symptoms that are like a feverish state, the body's call for help to indicate that something is not working well.

Oscar Wilde pokes a little fun at himself when he writes: I'm not going to stop talking to you just because you're not listening. I like to listen to myself. It's one of my biggest pleasures. I often have long conversations with myself, and I'm so smart that sometimes I don't understand a word I say. You will meet one of those beings who can't stop talking even when they know you don't pay attention to them, that you can't follow that unlimited and incoherent talk.

Perfection does not exist but it must be a constant goal to seek impeccable beauty for oneself and for others. This is not achieved by looking at life through dark glasses, or by looking at it through pink glasses. Only with the harmony of the soul, with the renewal that comes from self-examination with honesty and receiving the sun every morning wanting to be better, is that wisdom that clears life achieved. You are strong when simplicity, honesty, selflessness, are nourished by knowledge. That is the compass for everyday walking: whoever has a dirty soul always walks twisted, who shakes it every day, walks light and clear, even through ravines and storms.

See you tomorrow guys...